How long have you been an attorney with Prince, Youngblood & Massagee in Hendersonville, and what type of law do you practice?

I started working with PYM in May 2012, so a little over a year. I practice primarily criminal defense and civil litigation. I trained in school as a litigator, meaning that I handle contested cases filed in the courts, so I’m comfortable handling a wide range of cases in different areas of the law.

Where did you go to school?

I grew up in Hendersonville and went to Immaculata and Flat Rock Middle. I went to boarding school in Tennessee before heading to Wake Forest for undergrad and the University of Mississippi for law school.

How did you make your way back to Hendersonville?

My wife and I moved to Nashville, Tenn., following graduation, where we stayed and worked for two years. When we really looked at our future plans, Hendersonville made a lot of sense from both a professional and personal perspective.

I interned with PYM during law school, so I was excited to come back to Hendersonville to work with their attorneys, and Brittany and I look forward to raising children in Hendersonville. So far, I have greatly enjoyed meeting and working with the other members of the Henderson County Bar and experiencing Henderson County from a different perspective.

Recently, you produced an independent film shot in Hendersonville. What is the movie about?

The film is titled “Shadows on the Wall,” and it’s a science-fiction suspense film centering on Palmer Marshall, a college student who invents a machine which has the potential to revolutionize the way humans communicate with each other.

Palmer quickly realizes, however, that the unanticipated consequences of his new technology are frightening, and he has to work to keep bad things from happening as a result. A very talented actor named Chris Kauffmann plays Palmer, and equally talented Tim Fox and Nicole Durant play Palmer’s cousin, Chase, and his friend, Alice.

The film was directed by Ben Carland, produced by The Obsidian Collective, and is in post-production right now, meaning that the editing, sound and visual effects are being completed. We anticipate a fall 2013 completion and release.

What skills as an attorney did you bring to the table as a producer?

The director needed someone who was able to coordinate with local business owners, government officials and secure the rights to film in various places in Henderson and Buncombe counties. Additionally, there was a considerable amount of paperwork necessary to make sure that the entire film process was protected — cast and crew contracts, location releases, volunteer and extra releases, and general legal work to secure rights with various companies.

We have already begun the process of communicating with distribution companies and studios for when the film is completed, and I anticipate that my negotiating skills will come into play when we begin shopping the film for release.

What locations did you use in the film, and how long did it take to shoot?

We shot for roughly five weeks around Henderson and Buncombe counties. We spent most of the time in the Grey Hosiery Mill in Hendersonville, but we filmed in a few local businesses, as well as exterior shots of the beautiful Western North Carolina mountains.

How did you get into film?

I have known the director for years and was aware of his 2009 feature film, “Sol.” He approached me about being involved with “Shadows on the Wall,” and I was excited to jump on board. I’ve been a film fan my whole life, and I thought this was a terrific opportunity to experience the film process from the inside-out.

Although this was my first foray into film production, we’re very optimistic that it won’t be the last. We’ve already begun the process of developing our next project.

What is the most thrilling and challenging part of filmmaking?

For me, it was thrilling seeing something develop from writing on a page, through the organization of pre-production, to seeing live actors bring the words to life. Even now, when I see parts of the movie during the editing process, I get excited because the final product is such a creative, vibrant interpretation of what that original script was.

I think that the organization of the whole process was most challenging, and I didn’t even have the hardest part of the job. I respect the amount of work that went into the daily planning for what scene was shooting, what costumes had to be prepared, the light needed, time constraints and all the details that we take for granted when we watch a film.

Once filming started, I was really just a sideline guy — I was there when the production needed something, but Carland, Nick Gillespie (cinematographer), Mel Soria (first assistant director), Chase Livengood (assistant camera operator) and Alex Vieira (gaffer) did an outstanding job wrangling all of the people and objects that had to be handled through the whole process.

What advice would you give to people interested in working on a film?

There are so many projects, ranging from very big to very small, and every single one of them offers actors, directors and producers the opportunity to get better. If you had asked me two years ago whether I would produce a film, I would’ve told you that you were crazy.

But when the opportunity presented itself, especially the opportunity to contribute my abilities as an attorney, I was quick to take advantage. And if opportunities don’t present themselves, then make your own — the world needs more independent projects made by people who really care about their craft.